The changing polarity of Australian politics

And how it might sideline the Coalition for a generation

Over the last few months—years really—I’ve been trying to put some substance into an analysis of why our politics is changing in the way that is. Rather than present the rise of the independents as an aberration or a novelty, as most legacy media have been doing, I’ve dug back into the history of two-party politics and tried to explain that what is happening has historical roots and is part of a longer-term trend.

Two Fools D. A. Rovinskii 1881

I’m beginning to see reporting that better reflects this sort of understanding, and that’s good. Welcome aboard!

But there is still one key point I think many people are missing.

In reading back through the history of Australian federal politics, I’ve been struck by how central one particular idea is. Namely, that traditionally, our political establishment has divided into a two-party system that consists of a Labor side and a non-Labor side. This understanding forms the basis of discussion put forward by everyone from historians and political sci…